


Return of the Light

by theowlgalaxy



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Gen, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 07:29:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14075910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theowlgalaxy/pseuds/theowlgalaxy
Summary: "Rumours of a map leading to Luke Skywalker's location persisted under hushed voices, whispered in the corners of dark bars and at night as bedtimes stories. Its existence was heavily debated until the First Order heard the rumours, not long after the Resistance had as well. Then the race to the map began.Out of all the brighter and braver and worthier people in the galaxy to find the legendary map, Rey thought she would be the very last person to follow the coordinates."This is a rewrite of TLJ where I fix some of the things that didn't make sense.





	1. Ahch-To (Rey)

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter from Rey's perspective: takes place on Ahch-To, right where the story was left off in "The Force Awakens".

**Chapter 1: Ahch-To (Rey)**  
  
A chill that easily beat the coldest nights on Jakku wracked Rey’s body with shivers as she hiked up the mountain. Her threadbare clothes—thick enough to block the endless sands of a desert but thin enough to ease off the scorching heat of day—whipped in the gale like flags, waving their surrender to the relentless force. Every few steps she would reach down to steady herself, since her flimsy shoes struggled to find grip against the mossy stone. White puffs of mist huffed out with each of her tiring breaths. It might have been her imagination but she could swear the skin of her sun-tanned hands were turning a shade of blue.

Never had Rey ever encountered such a place before; so much greenery alive and vibrant in one spot, and so much water crashing against the shores and cliffs of the island. Strange sea-dwelling birds with huge eyes tucked their nests into any crevices, ledges, and bushes available. These birds waddled out of their shelters and watched her trek along, chirping amongst themselves. Other seaside birds circled around the beach below, and occasionally one would dive into the shallower waters and emerge with a catch.

Rey pulled her jacket tighter and envied Chewbacca’s thick fur. Maybe she should have let him accompany her so he could have provided some familiarity to this foreign world—or at least acted as a shield from the freezing wind. But the summit appeared closer than the beach, and she reasoned the less company the better.

Although all of these were both awe-inspiring and terrifying new experiences, Rey couldn’t bring herself to appreciate them with her heart thumping hard in her chest and the frantic butterflies in her stomach. A tremor unrelated to the temperature ebbed and flowed through her. Fear and doubt collided against her resolute in a fierce battle; they begged her to turn around and go back, to return to Jakku and wait for her loving family to find her and apologise for all the times they missed.

But a thought persisted in the back of her mind—not loud enough for her to truly realise though it still had impact—and it whispered the truth. This truth, with some other unacknowledged feeling, rallied against the irrational turmoil and kept her moving forwards.

The island was formed with many other peaks and some of them towered over the one Rey had chosen. However she chose to hike this one for two reasons: The first being because of the trail which led up from the beach she and Chewie had landed the Millennium Falcon.

The second was decided upon a feeling resonating from deep inside her being. It had drawn her gaze to this mountain like a quick near-invisible movement in the corner of her eye. Her body swayed forward as the magnetic force pulled her by the core into the ascent to its summit. Up there, she was certain was this journey’s end.

Rey had heard the stories, everyone had. The legend of a great Jedi knight. A brave man who fought Darth Vader and returned peace to the galaxies. Together with Princess Leia Organa and Han Solo, they helped the Rebellion defeated the Empire and were heralded as heroes across the galaxy. Grand regales of these historic tales often occurred in public places and enacted in children’s games.

But many years ago, the Jedi just disappeared. No one knew when or where he vanished to. The reasons of why he did varied between sectors but none were concrete.

Then the First Order rose, and the Jedi’s stories faded to the shadows.

However, rumours of a map leading to his location persisted under hushed voices, whispered in the corners of dark bars and at night as bedtimes stories. Its existence was heavily debated until the First Order heard the rumours, not long after the Resistance had as well. Then the race to the map began.

Out of all the brighter and braver and worthier people in the galaxy to find the legendary map, Rey thought she would be the very last person to follow the coordinates.

As Rey’s climb came closer to its end, she gazed up and her breath shuddered to a stop. A lone figure dressed in a hooded cloak stood at the summit of the mountain. The person faced away from Rey, towards the raging grey ocean and where it met the even greyer horizon. They hadn’t seemed to notice her presence yet. This didn’t comfort her churning nerves as she approached.

Something alerted the figure—perhaps her foot kicked a rock or the sound of her clothes whipping about—but they turned and Rey froze. Even before he reached up and pushed back the hood, she knew who he was.

He was the hero of the rebellion.

Defeater of the Empire.

The Last of the Jedi.

_Luke Skywalker._

All words had retreated from Rey’s vocabulary as Skywalker stared at her, shock evident on his face. She was gawping but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

His swept back grey hair and neatly-kept beard had streaks of white through them. His pale face appeared more aged, a result from both laugh lines and time having passed. The overcast daylight shone off the dull metal of his prosthetic right hand. But even with all these changes, he was still recognisable. Especially with his beige Jedi robes and sparkling bright eyes. He was still the same man.

After a moment, Rey was the first to move. She reached back and unlatched the lightsaber— _his_ lightsaber—from her belt. She held it out and offered it to him, glad her hand only trembled slightly as she did.

The Jedi hesitated. Doubt crept back up Rey’s throat. What if he doesn’t take it? What if he finds this insulting? What if he turns me away?

Then he took the lightsaber and examined it, turning it slowly in his hands. His eyes returned to her.

‘Who are you?’ Skywalker asked. His eyes—as blue as Jakku’s clearest skies—regarded her with caution and curiosity, but flickered with something else in his expression that she couldn’t identify.

Rey frowned. How would she answer this? She was nobody—just a scavenger from an unremarkable desert planet in the middle of deep-space nowhere. She was Rey from Jakku; the epitome of average and as unwanted as the wrecked ships she ripped the scraps from. A future corpse to have died salvaging what she could to afford just enough food to lengthen the time until she fell or got crushed or beaten to death for looking at someone the wrong way. A lost child with no purpose in the universe other than to serve as a warning to others until she saved a BB unit, unaware of its importance or what it carried. How would she answer the question no one had asked her before?

Rey took a breath to ensure her voice didn’t shake.

Then she answered.

‘I’m a friend.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! Let me know if you liked it so far in the comments or even with a kudos. 
> 
> Feel free to leave any feedback in the comments, particularly if there's something like a grammar error somewhere I haven't spotted. I'd like to hear your thoughts. :D


	2. Acquainting and Reuniting (Finn)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is from Finn's perspective: Finn wakes up after his fight with Kylo Ren.

**Chapter 2: Acquainting & Reuniting (Finn)**  
  
A constant beat of beeps pierced the silence. Steady, relentless, irritating, until they wore through the cushion of nothingness. From the tear opened by the sounds, in trickled more disturbances. Heaviness pressed down upon Finn’s warm sluggish limbs. A slit of light hovered above Finn, then widened as his lax body stirred. White. So white out there. His eyes squinted at the brightness, up until the harshness dulled and more of the world bled through.

Blurred dots of light—some blue, some green, most of them white—reflected off curved glass that encased him. Finn blinked and tried to focus. He noticed the glass he was lying under formed some kind of pod or capsule, immersed in a transparent liquid. The source of the annoying beeps rang from a small blue digital window displayed on the glass, where a line jumped up and down in jagged movements, the noises chiming in time with the jumps. The glass case also displayed different windows, presenting other vital signs like body temperature, hydration levels, and brain activity.

Both fortunately and unfortunately, he had a pair of white shorts to provide him with some mocking kind of modesty. His chest was bare but he knew that was deliberate, though for what reason didn’t come to mind just yet.An IV drip just off to the side fed a transparent liquid—whether or not it was the same liquid he didn’t know—through a thin tube into the cannula in his hand. A portable bacta tank?

Finn furrowed his brow. He pushed to sit up, however then a searing pain burst in his shoulder and across his back. From the pain, a turmoil of dizziness and nausea struck his head and drew a pained groan from him. The beeping changed from steady to rapid and the digital windows flashed green. He heard a hiss as the glass case lifted up and a gurgle of the liquid draining, the sounds of the room now unmuted and _so piercing_.

‘He’s awake!’ A voice slipped in between all the ache and sensory overload. It sounded feminine, and for a moment he thought it belonged to Rey. But then his hopes slipped when they didn’t sound anything like her.

‘You sir, droid, can you please fetch General Organa and the head medic?’ The voice addressed someone else.

‘Of course, Miss. I will go at once.’ A more grating masculine voice responded. This one was slightly distorted, as if someone was talking through the comms, though it came from a source moving away from him.

‘Finn, can you hear me?’

He nodded. Then regretted it immediately when his head throbbed.

‘Okay, uh, good, just… stay seated for now. I’ll get you some water!’

Blinking his vision clear, he looked up at the person. A short woman with fair skin in a thick tan jumpsuit faced away from him. Her short black ponytail bobbed as she ransacked the cupboards across the room. She let out a small triumphant hum when she found a glass, then she stepped over to the sink and filled it up.

While the woman was occupied, Finn took the chance to observe the room around him. The change from the cold snowy forest on the Starkiller Base to the slightly curved white walls and pristine matte-grey floor here meant an amount of time had passed since the rescue mission and his fight with that psychopathic maniac, Kylo Ren.

Wait.

Kylo Ren.

The fight.

His injuries.

Rey protecting Finn.

_Rey fighting Kylo._

‘Rey!’ he exclaimed hoarsely. ‘Where’s Rey?’

Finn’s chest heaved. Pain flared from his back and shoulder but he ignored it. His mind raced over the worst possibilities. Did that sicko get to her? Had he taken her to the First Order and now was torturing her? He needed to help her!

As Finn tried to stand, the IV tube connected to the his hand ripped out, soon after the monitors flashed red and emitted an alarm that grated his ears. The woman spun around and rushed to him, glass of water left behind. She pressed her hands against his bare shoulders—placed carefully to avoid his injury—to stop him from standing in his panic.

‘It’s okay, Finn. Please calm down! You’re safe!’ She assured, gently guiding him to sit.

‘Where is she? Is she okay?’

‘General Organa will tell you everything. But for now you just need to breathe and take it easy!’ Concern and surprise was written on the woman’s face, though her remarkable calmness and reassurance anchored him back to reality.

Finn took some deep breaths. Panicking wouldn’t help him, and neither would it help Rey. Gradually, the fear settled when he forced himself to calm and reason.

Judging by the clean benches and medical bots and tools surrounding him, combined with the bacta pod and IV drip, indicated quite clearly that he was situated in a medical bay. Stormtroopers weren’t allowed the luxury of such high-tech medical equipment and machines set around him, so it was safe to assume that he wasn’t on a First Order fleet ship. Out of the five other bacta pods and tanks in the bay, none were occupied. But that didn’t mean his friend wasn’t injured and in the hands of the First Order.

He shivered. He had witnessed firsthand and cleaned up after what happened to prisoners of the First Order. If that fate had fallen upon Rey… he halted that thought before it churned his stomach further.

The woman, once sure he had relaxed, fetched the glass she’d left by the sink. When she walked back to him, Finn noticed how her dark brown eyes avoided his, glancing down towards the floor. She gave a shy smile as she handed the glass to him, her hands dropping to her sides and fiddling with the band of her grey tool belt. Her fringe of straight hair hid a portion of her round face, though from what he could she, he could tell she was quite pretty.

‘Thank you…’ Finn rasped. The cold fresh water soothed the dryness of his mouth. He hadn’t noticed how thirsty he was until now and he ended up gulping down the refreshing drink down in one long draught. He passed the glass back to her.

‘You-you’re welcome,’ The woman replied, much softer than before.

‘Where am I?’

‘This is the Resistance’s new med-bay. We had to evacuate and set up in our back-up base since, well, the First Order found out our location. But it’s all fine now! They don’t know about this base so we can breathe easy—even if it’s only for a brief moment. Which is good because we all need some time to recover, especially you.’

‘Are you a medic?’

‘What?’ She frowned and her brow creased. Then realisation lit up her face and she let out a nervous laugh. ‘Oh, no, I’m not! I have basic first-aid training but apart from that I’m nowhere near qualified. I was just passing by when I heard the monitors go off. I’m a mechanic, actually. Rose the mechanic! That’s my name, by the way: Rose Tico.’

‘Hi, uh, my name is—’

‘Finn! Yes, I know who you are.’

Finn noticed how uneasy Rose seemed. In turn, awkwardness crept up his spine, fuelling his uncertainty. He looked down, considering that he had turned into a fountain with batch dripping everywhere so that could be the reason. And he was also shirtless.

Then he remembered—he used to be a Stormtrooper. He froze. Making people uncomfortable always made his stomach drop and his chest feel cold. It worsened when he had been ordered to hurt, and became unbearable when ordered to kill. Horror at making someone so nice feel afraid hit him hard.

‘I’m sorry if I’m scaring you!’ He rushed out. ‘I quit and now I’m on your side now! I know being a Stormtrooper doesn’t make me trustworthy but I promise I won’t hurt you.’

His exclamation seemed to make Rose smile wider and a more genuine laugh burst from her. ‘No, no. I’m not worried about that,’ She said, meeting his eyes for the first time. ‘I just… I’m not used to meeting heroes.’

Finn drew his head back slightly. _Heroes?_

Before he could ask what she meant, the med-bay doors slid open with a whir to reveal a familiar face. A grin grew on his face and a small amount of weight lifted off his shoulders at the sight of the beaming man before him.

Poe Dameron.

‘Finn!’ Poe exclaimed as he bounded into the room. Out of his flight suit and into his normal clothes, he still looked as dashing as ever, albeit a little more rugged with his stubble more prominent and wearing a new black leather jacket. He took Finn’s hand and clapped him on his uninjured shoulder. ‘How are you feeling, buddy?’

‘I’ve certainly been better,’ Finn groaned with a sardonic smirk. Two other people entered the room behind Poe, though Finn’s mind had trouble focusing on more than one person at a time.

‘It’s good to see you in one piece. Had us all worried there, seeing you lying there on that stretcher!’ Poe’s carefree grin faltered for a second, but he quickly corrected it. ‘I tell you, I would have feared the worst if that girl—Rey was the name, wasn’t it?—hadn’t been watching over you. I may not’ve had the chance to met her, but when I do, I need you there to introduce us so I can thank her properly.’

At the mention of Rey’s name, Finn perked up and stared at Poe with full attention. The change in his posture aggravated his wounds, which screamed in protest and made him wince. ‘Poe, where’s Rey?’ Finn asked, hoping his desperate concern couldn’t be heard in his rough agonised voice.

‘Easy now, there’s nothing to worry about,’ Poe promised. ‘General Organa and I will fill you with what you missed.’

The name both Poe and Rose referred to circled in Finn’s head. He tried to pin down how it was familiar to him but the fogginess of unconsciousness clouded his memory. However the mist blew away the instant his eyes focused upon another person in the bay.

This person certainly commanded a significant presence in the room, which was only emphasised by the beautiful blue dress and black coat she wore. Brown eyes spoke of intelligence and strength as they gazed upon him, accompanied by a friendly smile that crinkled lines over her pale aged face. Her grey hair was tucked into a crown-like braid over the top of her head.

Finn automatically tried to stand in attention—prevented by forceful yet well-meaning hands—for the Princess of Alderaan, former Senator of the New Republic, and the leader of the Resistance.

_General Leia Organa._

‘Finn,’ General Organa began. ‘I’m glad to see that you’re recovering quite well. We didn’t get a lot of time before, but once we have let the doctor perform her checks I know we have a lot to discuss.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! Let me know if you liked it so far in the comments or even with a kudos. 
> 
> Feel free to leave any feedback in the comments, particularly if there's something like a grammar error somewhere I haven't spotted. I'd like to hear your thoughts. :D


	3. The Last of the Jedi (Rey)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place from Rey's perspective on Ahch-To.

**Chapter 3: The Last of the Jedi (Rey)**  
  
The journey down from the mountain took less time than when climbing it. Following gravity’s pull played a part in this, although Rey only paid half of her attention into hiking. Her mind wandered elsewhere, ignoring the freezing temperatures and instead focusing particularly on the person following just behind her. Master Skywalker walked the trail with ease as if it were merely a straight even path rather than a dangerous mountainside hike. Rey’s feet kept slipping while her balance wobbled, she was surprised she hadn’t fallen over yet.

‘What’s your name?’ Skywalker asked as they passed the rock huts she’d seen on the way up, his voice steady. ‘I think it’s only polite to ask since you travel half-way across the galaxy to find me.’

Master Skywalker didn’t speak anything like she had imagined—his voice sounded gently and friendly but it was also clear and strong, an element of calmness and certainty hidden beneath it. Rey counted her own false ease to the air of disbelief she still felt from meeting the legend.

‘Rey, sir,’ Rey huffed.

‘Please don't call me that,’ he requested. ‘Do you have a last name or is it just “Rey”?’

‘It’s just Rey.’

When Rey first spoken at the peak, Master Skywalker had said nothing else. His eyes had flickered down to the beach below for a moment, before he looked back at her and nodded. She sensed a mutual understanding on some level had been reached—he knew why she was here and that he was not ready to leave yet, however he was willing to listen. Which is why when she turned and retraced her steps, he began to follow her.

The silence weighed heavy between them after that brief exchange—only broken when Master Skywalker warned her of orange and brown birds (Porgs, he told her they were called) or a loose rock underfoot—until they reached the beach. They watched a large brown blur race out of the Millennium Falcon and charge towards them. Chewbacca ran and engulfed Skywalker into a tight hug, which was returned equally. Chewie let out a happy warble.

‘It’s good to see you too, Chewie!’ Skywalker laughed, muffled by Chewbacca fur. Rey found a chuckle burst from her as the infectious happiness warmed her chest. The two eventually let go.

‘Argh! Aargh Argh Aaaaargh!’ Chewie exclaimed, pointing to the Falcon.

‘R2 is here too?’

‘Argh!’

As if summoned by his name, R2-D2 rolled down the ramp, excited beeps chirping from him.

‘R2!’ Skywalker stepped over to the R2 unit and kneeled down to him, running his left hand over the robot’s head. ‘It’s so good to see you’re still kicking! You’re looking a little worse for wear, buddy. We should get you cleaned up, how about that, eh?’

R2 rattled side to side as he beeped in joy. As this exchange occurred, Rey reflected on her own interactions back on Jakku. The closest she had to friends had been Unkar Platt, who constantly demeaned and scammed her and groomed her to be the perfect scavenger, and Devi and Strunk, who betrayed her by stealing the ship she wanted to sell. No one had ever looked at her like Master Skywalker looked at Chewie and R2, with genuine joy lighting up his eyes and laugh that wasn’t mocking or sarcastic.

That was until Finn ran into her life—when he looked at her, a thousand desert suns couldn’t compare to how bright his smile was. He cared about her; he cared enough to return to the place and people he tried so hard to run from just to rescue her. And he got nothing out of it; only her company and her own smile that she hoped was at least half as illuminating as his.

Rey kept smiling until she heard Master Skywalker voice the dreaded question.

‘Where’s Han?’

All warmth and happiness in the atmosphere dissolved in a instant. Rey froze, R2-D2 stopped beeping, and Chewbacca dropped his head. The cold embrace of grief and empathy washing over her as she helplessly watched Skywalker piece their sudden silence together. His smile fell, then his eyes glanced up at Chewbacca.

Master Skywalker murmured to the Wookie. 'Oh, Chewie… I’m so sorry…’ Then pulled him into another hug. Chewbacca held him back and guided him into the Millennium Falcon, while R2-D2 and Rey followed close behind. Once inside, Skywalker and Chewie sat at the hologram table.

Rey saw enough room for her as well but uncertainty stopped her from sitting next to the Jedi master. She felt like she was intruding on a private moment, and the uncomfortable sense crept up and held her back a couple of steps away from the table. She’d only known Han for about a day and his murder had sparked a great fury and sadness inside that fuelled her defeat of Kylo Ren—she could hardly imagine how Chewbacca and Skywalker must be suffering after they had known him for years.

‘How did it happen?’ Master Skywalker asked softly.

Rey blinked away the tears in her eyes and tried to summon her courage. She couldn’t look him in the eyes—her gaze teetered along the floor, over to the corridor, down to R2-D2—anywhere but him. Her words quivered as she forced herself to speak.

‘We were on the Starkiller Base. Han, Chewbacca, and my friend Finn had come to rescue me. We were placing charges inside the oscillator to stop the place destroying the Resistance base. But then _Kylo Ren_!’ She spat the name out through clenched teeth. ‘He was down there. Han tried to talk to him. Bring him back to the light side. But when we thought he was giving up the darkness…’ Rey gulped, the sharp pain in her chest begging her to stop. But she continued anyway, even though her voice broke with her heart. ‘He killed him instead.’

Rey finally looked up to gauge his reaction. Master Skywalker’s eyes were downcast. Light glimmered off his cheeks as tears spilled down from his reddened eyes. She wanted to comfort him. Ease the pain somehow. But she didn’t know how. She stood there, shifting her weight between her feet and trying to find a comfortable position for her hands.

‘This is my fault.’

Rey glanced at Master Skywalker in shock, as did Chewie and R2-D2.

‘Argh ahh?’ Chewie questioned.

Skywalker’s eyes had closed and his form was more hunched, as if he was trying to shrink away. ‘I shouldn’t have left. If I hadn’t, then he wouldn’t have been there for Ben to… None of this would have happened…’

Rey gaped. ‘How is that your fault?’ She exclaimed.

‘All this happened because I failed…’ Skywalker muttered. ‘I failed to keep balance in the Force. Millions of people are now suffering because of my failures. I couldn’t save _my own nephew_ from turning to the Dark Side!’ He let out a hollow laugh. ‘Some hero I turned out to be…’

 _No. It’s not your fault at all. Kylo Ren made the choice. He’s the one who killed Han. You shouldn’t bear the blame for what he did._ Rey wanted to say.

She wanted to let out a torrent of counter-arguments and a flood of reassurances. She wanted to do something to lighten the burden of guilt off his shoulders; to change the tides pushing him to self-reproach; to return him to that shining beacon guiding so many out of the storms of war. But her voice stagnated—run dry of false strength—and the moment blew away.

Master Skywalker stood abruptly, his stomp rattling the floor and all counters to his guilt halted. He shook his head and, without looking at them, walked out without another word, leaving them in a stunned silence. A long minute passed by until Rey recovered and went after him without a second thought.

*  *  *  *  *

Luke Skywalker wasn’t outside of the Millennium Falcon. Neither was he on the beach nor anywhere nearby. Rey glanced up at the island’s mountains and searched the landscape, watching for a billowing cloak or beige robes against green and grey. She frowned when she didn’t spot the man—his movements clearly hadn’t been inhibited by age. Still though, Rey reasoned, he couldn’t have gotten far.

 _What am I doing?_ Rey asked herself. Why was she chasing after a man she’d only just met? When he probably wanted to be left alone?

 _Because you’re selfish._ An insidious thought whispered back. _Because you want him to be the hero from the legend. You want him to be bright and shining instead of broken and suffering. You want him to teach you so you can be something other than an unwanted scavenger._

Rey shook away the thought and focused on the most immediate problem. With the time she had wasted on her self-doubt, Master Skywalker would have put more distance between them, possibly had moved faster if he knew she was looking for him (again). He could be anywhere on the island by now, and probably knew where every little spot where he could hide—the question Rey needed to ask herself was how would she find the Jedi Master in an unfamiliar landscape he had lived in for years.

An idea appeared during her moment of reasoning. Maybe she could use the Force to find him—after all, someone with such strength and connection with the power ought to give off some sort of presence, right?

Rey drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She reached out with that strange feeling running through her—like how she had tricked the guard into letting her go—and tuned her mind into her surroundings. Her eyelids squeezed shut at the sheer amount of movement and imagery and noise filling her, almost to the point of pain from overstimulation.

Then she was everything. She was the waves crashing against the cliffs. She swam through the water currents with the schools of fish. She dived from the sky down into the sea to scoop up a fish in her beak. She was the wind brushing through the leaves of stunted trees and the roots anchoring them to the ground. In the ebb and flow of life and light and motion, she was stretched across the island like she were floating motionless in a still lake; in tune with the water’s surface and waiting for something to disturb the tranquillity.

There! Up along the trail she had climbed: a flicker amongst the stone huts. A tremor; a ripple in the surface of the Force. Soft, subconscious, but definitely a disturbance.

Rey fixed her gaze upon the mountain trail once more, drew her staff from its hold, and began hiking. The Porgs tracked her climb once more, some even waddling onto the path and following her. The ones closest flinched whenever her staff smacked the ground, though that could hardly be helped. They would give up after a few metres when she kept up her pace and gave them none of the attention they wanted.

About three quarters along the journey she had taken to first meet Master Skywalker, the path diverted off to the side towards the small village. She paused a moment before she wandered along the rock path through the settlement.

The architecture of the stone huts fascinated her. They were made from all natural materials, except for the metal doors and glass windows, available in the environment around them yet remained sturdy against the elements. Rey ran her hand over one of the houses. A variety of rocks, each with their own shape and size, were somehow slotted together into harmonic balanced walls. Back on Jakku, the ships she had scavenged from had flawless symmetry and alignment—all straight lines and rounded degree angles, forced together by precisely-calculated cuts and melted metals to connect everything into a perfect puzzles. It felt strange to see unity out of chaos, yet also reflected satisfaction from the order of mismatched shelters.

Milling about their daily routines were the small green fish-like villagers, who a little less than a metre tall. Occasionally one would let out an annoyed grunt and shuffle around her when they found her in their way, but apart from that they ignored her completely. In turn, she let them be, because her instincts told her they weren’t the ones who had created the ripple.

Now closer to the source of the disturbance, Rey opened her senses. She concentrated on the Force flowing through the village, however everything was still and the tremor was gone. Rey brought a hand to her chin in thoughtfulness. Perhaps she was wrong. The ripple might have been triggered from somewhere else. But if she was incorrect, she decided, then searching around here could provide a clue on Skywalker’s whereabouts.

Rey turned her attention back to the village. Most of the huts belonged to the villagers, and she was pretty sure nearly all of them would not be welcome to letting her raid their homes. However Master Skywalker must be staying somewhere; he would need a place to sleep and shelter from the harsher weathers. She wandered about, observing the outsides of the huts for any indication of difference from the others.

Something towards the edge of the village caught Rey’s eye. She almost overlooked it and was about to press on when an irregularity in the surrounding landscape registered to her. She immediately stopped and backtracked to where she noticed it. Glancing over into the distance, she spotted a small colony of huts, separate from the main village. Walking down the slope, she arrived at a cluster of five houses.

Once close enough, her mind collected little details—differences that were often not spotted until a person looked more closely—that separated these huts from the others. The stone appeared courser, and significantly less moss and mould clung to the surfaces. Standing beside one of them, the deviation in height became clearer, with the separated group much taller. Instead of stone slabs, the path consisted of muddy gravel.

Stepping around the hut, she found all the huts face towards a ring of stones where the ashes of an extinguished fire had burned. The metal doors lacked the same dull rusted appearance and she noticed that they were more heavyset.

Rey approached the door of the nearest hut. She reached for the handle and pulled. It rattled in its frame, but it didn’t budge. She tried again with more force. It only clanged louder. She brought up her fist, knocked on the door, and listened. There was no sounds coming from inside. Experience indicted a locked door meant something of value was inside. Unfortunately she had left any tools that would help open it down in the Millennium Falcon. Hell, a lightsaber would do the job, but she had given it back to Master Skywalker.

Again, Rey’s thoughts run back to the Force. As she glanced around to see if anyone was watching, she couldn’t help quirk up a small smile—for a part of her she hadn’t known about for most of her life, the frequency she found herself resorting to its use was rapidly increasing over the hours after she first became aware.

Rey stared at the door where she approximated the lock mechanism would be. She raised her hand and held her palm towards the door. She pushed the power out, reaching out towards the lock. The Force alive in the bolt that secured the door shut resonated under her administration. She channelled the energy to shift it until her arms began to quiver. It trembled in its socket but it stayed in place.

She sighed in frustration. A bolt was something she could unlock with her bare hands, so it frustrated her that she struggled to lift it with her inborn power. Then again, she figured, there was a difference between physical strength and motion induced through pure energy.

She tried again. This time she persisted; past the tremble in her arms and beyond the ache growing in her muscles. The bolt shook again and gradually began to slide upwards. Fatigue quickly accumulated, perspiration beading on her forehead. Soon her body screamed for her to stop, that she was approaching her exertion’s threshold. She ignored it; the lock almost unlatched, and gave one last hard shove.

The door clanked as the bolt lifted out of its socket. She let go, the exhaustion of the feat hitting her hard as she exhaled a tired but triumphant huff.

_CLANG!_

The door flew open with a crash. Then an invisible force threw her back. Air rushed in her ears. She landed several metres away from the hut.

Her head struck the ground and for a second, everything went black. She heard a familiar swish and whir over the pain.

When Rey’s vision returned, her eyes widened. She stared up at the three unfamiliar people who loomed above her; the lightsabers in their hands pointed at her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! Let me know if you liked it so far in the comments or even with a kudos. 
> 
> Feel free to leave any feedback in the comments, particularly if there's something like a grammar error somewhere I haven't spotted. I'd like to hear your thoughts. :D


	4. Like the Rebellion (Finn)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place from Finn's perspective back at the Resistance base.

**Chapter 4: Like The Rebellion (Finn)**  
  
The haze of unconscious had faded completely by the time the med-bay ward doctors finished their routine of health checks. While it happened, Poe, Rose, and General Organa waited for him, first at his side but then outside the med-bay when the doctors shooed them off for getting in the way. It would take another couple of days floating in a bacta tank while he slept for the wounds to heal, although doctors informed him that tomorrow he would be able to move about as long as he didn’t do anything to aggravate his shoulder and back.

Once the doctors had finished bandaging up his wounds, they gave Finn dry clothes—a white t-shirt with a zip at the back and some loose white pants—and moved him into a wheelchair while the three visitors took a seat around him. Poe retold all of the events that had happened after Finn had passed out, with General Organa chiming in occasionally to correct some of the details.

‘So Rey has gone to talk to Master Skywalker?’ Finn confirmed with them. ‘When will she be back?’

General Organa and Poe exchanged a shared look Finn couldn’t read. Bemused, Finn glanced over at Rose, who appeared just as confused as he did. He found comfort in knowing he wasn’t the only one not entirely informed.

‘Young Rey will return once her mission is complete,’ General Organa stated decisively.

 _Which means they don’t know._ Finn thought. _So it could be months before we see her again and I still haven’t thanked her for protecting me. What if something happens while she’s gone? I might never get the chance to tell her that—_

‘Finn,’ General Organa said firmly. Finn abandoned his anxious thoughts and glanced up at her. ‘She will be fine. She is doing what she needs to do, as we should be doing. Which is refusing to stand still and to continue making progress against the First Order.’

General Organa stood from her chair and straightened out her dress. ‘That being said, we will be discussing our next move in the meeting scheduled in half an hour’s time. It would help you to get back up to speed if you attended, however Poe could easily relay the information to you. No one would fault you if you feel you are not recovered enough.’

Finn observed her expression; her face was hard yet her eyes were soft. He understood why she commanded such respect from her crew—it spoke of nothing but strength and certainty in her decisions, balanced out with a steady sureness and kindness towards the people she both led and respected back. He knew she was giving him the choice, and whichever one he made she would accept.

‘I’ll go,’ Finn decided. The pain, agonising after Finn’s mind fully reconnected to consciousness, now only throbbed with a dulled ache thanks to the anaesthetic the doctors had given him. According to their estimation, it would be at least two hours before the pain killers wore off. The meeting shouldn’t go for longer than that, Finn believed.

General Organa gave him a small but genuine smile. She turned her gaze up to Poe. ‘Will you show him to the Main Headquarters?’

‘Of course!’ Poe answered.

‘Excellent, then I will see you both in the command centre in thirty minutes then.’

And with an agreement established, General Organa turned and walked out of the med-bay, dress gracefully fluttering behind her.

‘Wait, what time is it now?’ Finn inquired when his trace of admiration passed. He glanced around for a window.

‘It’s almost night,’ Poe answered. ‘You were unconscious for about twenty eight hours.’

Finn sat back, albeit as gently as he could. Twenty eight hours; that was just over a day he had been unconscious for. Enough time for the whole Resistance to evacuate D’Qar and relocate to wherever they were now. Enough time for Rey to have travelled to the map’s coordinates and to have found Master Skywalker.

‘We should probably go now. There won’t be as many people in HQ right now so manoeuvring you chair would be easier,’ Poe continued. ‘Unless you’re not ready.’

Finn shook his head. ‘No, I’m good. Let’s go.’

*  *  *  *  *

The technology in Headquarters was dramatically more discouraging than back on D’Qar. Finn stared at the computer monitors and hologram projectors outdated by at least forty years, still covered in patches of dust despite the efforts to sweep it away. The screens flickered as they displayed dated systems where the expressions between the operators working them ranged from annoyed to bemused to full-on frustrated. Along the concrete floor, white grains crunched under the wheels of Finn’s wheelchair and scraped beneath the shoes of the crew members walking around.

Rose stood beside Finn as they watched Poe converse inaudibly with a few of the other Resistance captains and commanders. She whispered the names of each one of the leaders and their rank, as well as some of their achievements. With so much information to process, he hoped he wouldn’t be questioned about them later on or else he looked less fit to be there than he actually was. She had initially followed them to Headquarters, silent while Poe pushed Finn along and pointed out the different areas and quarters they passed by. When they had arrived at Headquarters and Poe wandered over to where all the other leaders gathered, she had bid Finn goodbye and turned to leave. She paused when Finn reached out and held her sleeve.

‘Stay,’ he had pleaded softly.

‘I’m not important enough to be here,’ she replied.

‘Yes, you are. I want you to be here. Please…’

A look of uncertainty passed over her face and he had let her go in response, expecting her to leave. Instead, she took hold his wheelchair and moved him to a better position to view the hologram projector.

Just as Finn began to wonder when the meeting would start, the crowd parted way to allow General Organa up to the front. Finn noticed she stood taller and straighter than she did when he had first awoken, and she exhibited a sterner more serious expression. Her eyes softened for a second upon glancing at Finn and Rose, before her gaze moved on and she announced the meeting had started.

The meeting began with a brief about the current status of the Resistance: with the New Republic gone, supplies and resources had become more limited. Food and water quantities were stable and remain so for at least five months. Credits-wise, there was no shortage there and no limitation on income so pricing wasn’t a concern, though the General didn’t elaborate on where the funding was coming from. Current power required to run the base and fuel the ships could support them, but the power cells needed to be recharged and a new source of fuel had to be found to make another full-scale evacuation.

The retreat from D’Qar meant that they had to leave behind much of their equipment and supplies, but despite this, the Resistance had taken down a major component of the First Order and the enemy side was in havoc after such a loss. The hologram projector displayed their current position in the galaxy and other posts where smaller Resistance crews were stationed.

‘What do you propose we do next, General?’ Admiral Ackbar—A _Mon Calamari_ and former commander of the Rebellion, Rose whispered—inquired.

‘For the moment, we need to regroup and consider our options. We cannot afford to get corner like this ever again. The First Order has become too powerful to make any careless mistakes. Finding new sources for supplies should be a priority. However, we are open to ideas if anyone wishes to present any.’ General Organa looked over to Poe, who eagerly pivoted from side to side to capture the General’s attention. She addressed him, tone sounding unsurprised. ‘Yes, Commander Dameron?’

‘General Organa, may I suggest something?’ Poe requested, then continued when she nodded. ‘You say that the First Order will be scavenging D’Qar for what we left behind, right? Well, what if we use this to our advantage?’

‘What do you propose?’

‘Turn it into a trap. They won’t expect us to be there so their guard will be down, and with the chaos caused by the loss of their Starkiller Base, they’d still be regrouping. They won’t have their total remaining numbers calculated yet, so we could slip a team onboard. If we can locate where the shield generators are, then we could disable them and leave them vulnerable. Then we strike back!’

Silence fell over the room. Everyone waited upon General Organa’s thoughts upon Poe’s plan. The General said nothing at first. She stared at Poe for a few seconds more, before turning back to the other commanders and captains.

‘I must correct my earlier statement. We are open to any _good_ ideas if anyone wishes to present them.’

Poe gaped. ‘But General! This could be our chance! We could take down one of their battle fleets! And if luck is on our side, then we could take down one of their commanding officers too! Even just one team of star pilots and skilled fighters would be enough!’

‘No, Commander Dameron, you need to consider all the possible outcomes and obstacles.’ General Organa crossed her arms and leaned forward slightly towards him. ‘Have you considered how the team would sneak onboard the enemy ship without being spotted? Or how you would get past all of the guards and securities measure inside?’

‘I agree with the General,’ Admiral Ackbar contributed. ‘The chances of such a mission being successful are too small for it to be worthwhile. We would be sacrificing good people for a potshot.’

Murmurs of agreement with Admiral Ackbar echoed amongst the crowd. Poe glanced around in incredulity, gawping at the unanimous adversity to his idea.

‘Unbelievable…’ Poe breathed, before he projected his voice. ‘The Rebellion would have jumped on a chance like this. They battled against the odds throughout the war and won. Against the Death Star, against the evacuation of Hoth, even against the victory on Endor!’

General Organa swiftly interjected. ‘That’s enough, Commander. Let someone else take the floor for a moment. Would anyone else like to propose an idea?’ The General paused to allow a silence. When no one spoke up, she continued. ‘Is there anything else we need to discuss?’

Another leader—Captain Gawat, Rose told Finn—scrolled through a list on a blue tablet. ‘No, General,’ he concluded. ‘That covers almost everything of immediate importance.’

‘Excellent, then we will gather back here tomorrow, same time.’

The crowd dispersed upon the dismissal and General Organa strode away from the centre of the room towards the exit opposite where Finn and Rose had entered.

‘General, please hear me out!’ Poe exclaimed, chasing after her. He turned around and walked backwards as he called. ‘Hey Rose, take Finn back to the med-bay, would you?’

Rose nodded.

‘Great, thanks for that!’ Poe gave a thumbs up then spun around and jogged onwards. ‘General!’ They heard his fading voice call out as he and the General disappeared around the corner.

Finn sat there in stunned silence, while the other Resistance members weaved around him and either filed out of Headquarters towards their designated areas or returned to their operating stations. The meeting had seemed to fly by so fast.

‘Well, it won’t take an hour to get from here to HQ,’ Rose said with an air of mischievousness, rocking on her heels. ‘We’re in no big rush. So how about we take the long way there? I’m sure you’d like to get a tour of the place we’ll be calling home for a while.’

‘Sure,’ Finn answered. ‘I don’t see why not?’

*  *  *  *  *

‘The planet we’re on is called Crait. It’s a mineral planet where it rains salt instead of water. Under the layer of salt, the soil is red from the iron. It’s uninhabited by civilised life. Uh, it _was_ , until we got here.’

Rose explained as she rolled Finn into the hanger and set him in front of the open blast doors. She stepped back and let Finn observe the scenery. Endless flat fields of white stretched out in all directions, until reaching the white-capped red mountain range that appeared so small in the distance. The white sun inched toward the horizon at a gradual pace and its light hit the mineral surface at the right angle to create a sea of dazzling sparkles before them.

‘This is the only entrance into the base and the only exit too,’ Rose continued. ‘It was built to be a stronghold so it’s quite secure but we don’t want to get cornered here.’

‘Where did this base come from?’ Finn asked.

‘I’m not sure of the details, but apparently it was an old Rebellion base abandoned long ago. Luckily, it’s unknown to the First Order so we’re safe for now.’

_For now._

The two words stuck out to Finn like alarms; they hadn’t gone off just yet, but he anxiously waited and watched in case they blared at any moment. From what little he had heard about history, the Rebellion took place about forty years ago, so therefore all of the technology and designs of the structure were forty years out-of-date. The problem with technology was that it was constantly evolving, regardless of who would benefit from it. The First Order had access to the newest developments, which meant access to the newest most improved weapons.

He eyed the doors of the stronghold. They were solid and sturdy, enough to repel the attack of AT-AT lasers and the cannons of a TIE fighter. But firepower was getting stronger while the blast doors were halted in time. How long did they have until weapons bypassed the strongest structures of forty-years prior?

Finn stopped considering the possibilities, though fear crept up once again from the knowledge he knew firsthand from the enemy. He kept these thoughts to himself—there was no point in scaring Rose with the details when there was no immediate danger.

Finn looked up at Rose. She was staring at the scenery, eyes unfocused and a small smile on her illuminated face. The sunset was a beautiful sight, he noted, and his worries prevented him from fully appreciating it. He felt bad to break her out of her reverie. ‘What do you think of the chances General Organa would approve Poe’s plan?’ He asked.

‘Unlikely,’ Rose answered. ‘It’s like what the Admiral said, it’s too risky.’

‘It was risky what we did on Starkiller Base,’ Finn countered. ‘A lot of what the Rebellion did was risky too.’

‘Yeah, but we had no other choice. Right now, we’re not in danger and it would be safer to lay low for a while.’

Finn furrowed his brow. Safe, safety, danger, threat; the Resistance was too focused on safety for progress to be made, in Finn’s opinion.

‘But there is no such thing as safe when you’re in the Resistance. We’re constantly in danger because we chose to fight against a hostile movement. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, the First Order doesn’t care. They will kill us all without hesitation the moment they get the chance. Standing still just makes us target practice. So we might as well do something. It’s like what General Organa said: The best way to help Rey is to make whatever progress against the First Order we can.’

Rose went silent for a minute. Then something clattered behind them and drew her attention away. She looked back to him and took hold of his chair. When she turned them around, she pointed over to one of the X-Wings. By one of the ships with an open compartment was a young woman in a flight suit. She was flustered as she picked up the tools from a knocked over toolbox. Black hair poked out from under the woman’s cap, then Finn noticed some facial features she shared with Rose.

‘That’s my sister over there,’ she confirmed. ‘Paige. She’s one of the gunners. Not the best, but she’s still pretty good. We were orphans and had no other family. But when we joined the Resistance, we suddenly became a part of a big family, all working towards the same cause. General Organa and the other captains are nice enough to let me accompany Paige on some of her missions.’

Paige noticed the two of them and waved, beaming a friendly smile. Rose waved back with less enthusiasm. Paige nodded. She returned to scooping up the tools before she set to work upon the X-Wing.

‘But when I’m here and she’s out there, I can’t help but worry. What if this is the time she doesn’t come back? What if I don’t see her again? While I may be safer surrounded by people who care about us, she’s not. She’s risking her life for a cause bigger than what we are.’

Finn gazed at Rose once more, and in turn she looked at him.

‘To the First Order we might all just be pests, but to the Resistance, we’re people. Yes, we know the risks of being a part of this war, but that doesn’t mean we should be reckless when our friends’ and family’s lives are at stake. Fighting to protect what we love; that is what separates us from the First Order, and we mustn’t forget that.’

They startled when they heard someone call out that the blast doors were closing for the night. Rose helped Finn move out of the way and together they watched as the door screeched closed, sealing them off from the world outside. Exhaustion washed over Finn, while pain bloomed in his injuries once more. Rose noticed his pained expression and took him back to the medical bay. She left him to the care of the medical staff with the promise of visiting him in the morning.

As the doctors and nurses prepared him for another night in the bacta tank, Finn couldn’t help but feel glad. Glad there were people to care for him. Glad that there were people here who seemed wanted him here. Glad that he had the chance to meet Rose. She was brave and kind and intelligent, and she looked at him in a way he thought he would never get used to. He felt that in their conversation together they had developed an understanding of some sort between them. But what he was most glad for was for her expressing her beliefs to him, and that he now had some quiet time to reflect over them and his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! Let me know if you liked it so far in the comments or even with a kudos. 
> 
> Feel free to leave any feedback in the comments, particularly if there's something like a grammar error somewhere I haven't spotted. I'd like to hear your thoughts. :D

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! Let me know if you liked it so far in the comments or even with a kudos. 
> 
> Feel free to leave any feedback in the comments, particularly if there's something like a grammar error somewhere I haven't spotted. I'd like to hear your thoughts. :D


End file.
